In last season’s Holy Cross series – and the last time the Boston University women’s hockey team recorded a shutout – Mari Pietersen led back-to-back wins with two straight shutouts, reminding everyone of her presence.
In this year’s game against Holy Cross, the story remained the same, with her anchoring BU’s 3-0 shutout effort, extending the Terriers’ record to 4-10-1 and 4-5-1 in Hockey East.
“It was just one of the most complete games I’ve seen her play,” head coach Tara Watchorn said. “Yes, there was one left out, but the way she made the saves, the way she did it was so calm.”
With a team having questions about the reliability of their defensive core, having a goalkeeper capable of supporting the team at the back is key to finding consistency. That’s what Pietersen has done the past three matchups.
The Terriers determined they have what it takes to be a competitive team in Hockey East after back-to-back losses to Boston College where they showed they were committed to the process but just couldn’t find the outcome.
After the BC series, Pietersen started in net against Providence and helped BU to a win and a draw – including a shootout victory in which she made two saves. Now, in her third straight start, she has emerged as an important piece of BU’s success puzzle.
“Holy Cross is tough because you can have momentum, then they’re scrambling, and they get a few chances on you, and all of a sudden the game can feel completely different,” Watchorn said. “She not only made the saves, she did it in a way that gave us confidence.”
The increased confidence was palpable across all 60 meters of the ice; Away from the net, the Terriers’ play in transition excelled.
BU’s first goal came on a breakaway from the neutral zone. Senior forward Lilli Welcke broke out and connected across the ice with her sister Luisa, who fired the puck from the circle to the top shelf above goaltender Abby Hornung at 8:47 in the first.
The Welcke sisters, along with fellow senior forward Riley Walsh, consistently generated quality chances all night. Their chemistry has steadily grown this season as they have stayed on the same page together.
“We talk a lot about how we can take the skills that we have individually – and then also as your line – and then the identity that you have and turn it into an insult,” Watchorn said. “I think they’ve been curious about how they can upgrade some of those looks, and make them more threatening, and they’re definitely heating up.”
Luisa Welcke was responsible for the second goal of the evening for BU. As the Crusaders attempted to break the puck out of their defensive zone and connect up the ice, Luisa intercepted the puck. Healey passed to senior forward Sydney Healey and delivered a pass back to Luisa, who dragged the puck across the crease to Hornung’s glove side and slid the puck tight past the goal post.
On the special teams side, neither Holy Cross nor BU generated that night. Watchorn attributed BU’s power play struggles to timing.
“It wasn’t an opportunistic time,” Watchorn said of BU’s lone power play. “I wish we would have built a little more momentum on it, but it was also a little difficult to get one look at that moment in the game.”
After the penalty, BU successfully closed all three chances against them. In the last three games, no goal has been allowed on the kill.
Freshman forward Mia Vergilii closed out the scoring for BU. Senior forward Clara Yuhn broke the puck out of the neutral zone and moved it past the goal line, then Vergilii skated wide open through the circle. Vergilii buried the fodder from the trench to seal the target.
Vergilii has been inconsistent for the Terriers, getting few ice minutes and often causing turnovers, but tonight she played with confidence.
“It was a great game and a nice way to score your first, but what I liked even more was that she played a great game,” Watchorn said of Vergilii. “Every time we put her on the ice, she helped us, gave us momentum and created opportunities, and we just kept putting her there.”
BU faces one of its toughest tests this weekend against UConn – the one team they couldn’t solve last season. To break this streak, the Terriers will have to match, if not surpass, the poise they showed tonight.
“It’s about taking what we’ve learned in this game and taking it to the next level and making it even better and even more disciplined,” Watchorn said. “It was a great match and with more detail than we have ever seen, but there are still many things we can do to make our match goalkeeper-proof and opponent-proof.”
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